Australian Aborigines

Aborigines are thought to have entered Australia
from South East Asia at least 40 000 years ago when ice-ages had
lowered sea levels to the point where it was possible to walk
across between Asia, New Guinea, Australia and Tasmania.
At the time of James Cook's arrival they were estimated to number
between half a million to three million, nowadays there are about
460 000 left, which is only about 2.4% of Australia's current
population, this includes Torres Strait Islanders.
Reasons for their decline are disease introduced by settlers,
the loss of traditional lands and food supplies, being shot by
settlers (especially in Tasmania where Aborigines have been hunted
to extinction), and generally not being taken care of by authorities
for whom they officially did not exist.
They were not counted in the census, could not vote and had no
citizens rights until 1967 when the government held a referendum
in which Australians voted in an overwhelming majority to grant
them the same rights as all other Australians.
Nowadays they have landrights and own more than a third of the
Northern Territory, including all the major tourist icons like
Kakadu, Katherine Gorge and Ayres Rock, and many other parts of
Australia.
Aborigines and National Parks manage the parks together, creating some
meaningful employment in remote areas where jobs are hard to come by.

The Aboriginal flag

The Aboriginals are divided into many tribes and
clans with many different dialects and languages.
They are very spiritual people and have a complex system involving
sacred sites and some of the knowledge passed on from generation
to generation is "classified" as secret mans or womans
business. Their laws and justice system are partly recognized by
the Australian justice system and in certain cases Aborigines have
been allowed to punish offenders with "payback" (which
often involves bashing with lumps of wood and spears in the legs)
instead of them being sent to jail. (Otherwise they'd be punished
twice as after being released from jail they would still receive
their payback).
They also believe that certain Aborigines have the power to kill
by simply "pointing the bone" at somebody. One Aboriginal
woman travelled to Canberra and pointed the bone at Prime Minister
John Howard but several years later
he was still cruising around ( much to the disappointment of some
people.).
Aboriginal trackers are famous for their amazing tracking skills
and are often called on in outback searches for missing people.
They have an extensive knowledge of bush survival skills being able
to find water and food in the most unlikely barren places and obtaining
medicinal plants from the bush.
Their most famous contributions to today's world from a tourist's
perspective are the didgeridoo and boomerang that make very popular
souvenirs.

Their culture is difficult to discover and experience
for the tourists as not many Aborigines live a truly traditional
lifestyle nowadays and they would be in very remote places, often
in reserves requiring permits. The Aborigines you see in the city
are often not the best examples, some have chosen to live there
but others might only be there because they broke traditional laws
and were banished from their community, but their culture is now
on display in various cultural centres, dance theatres and on tours
around Australia where tourists can learn about their traditional
music, bushtucker, rituals, sacred sites and dances.

In March 2005 Prince Charles toured the Alice Springs
Desert Park and Arrernte women had dug up some witchetty grubs for
him and collected sweet honey ants but palace staff told them not
to give Charles any bush tucker to sample unless he asked for it.

Witchetty grub

Aboriginal people from different parts of Australia
have their own names for themselves such as Koori, Yamaji, Nunga,
Murri etc; these names are specific to various regions. On your
travels, another word for Aborigine you may come across is 'blackfella',
some Aborigines refer to people as blackfellas and whitefellas,
while they often use these terms it is not always appreciated if
white people use them.
Another name you may come across is 'Abo', This word is NOT politically
correct, you should not use it but at least now you know what it
means in case you hear it. In a country full of ambos, avos, garbos,
milkos, lilos, journos, biros, musos, servos, salvos, regos, thingos
and preggo sheilas, it is a somewhat understandable abbreviation
but be aware that it can be an offensive word and we do not encourage
its use.
If you find yourself in the company of rednecks you may also hear
the words 'coon' or 'boong', these are very derogatory terms, even
worse than calling an Afro-American a nigger, and you should definitely
not use them, but at least now you know what they mean now in case
you hear them around you, and you can move on to find better company.

Some tours to learn about Aboriginal
culture;

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Around Uluru

Want to experience sacred sites known to the Aboriginal
people, then dine under the stars of the Outback? This is a fantastic
opportunity to explore unforgettable landscapes and feel the enchantment
of the wilderness for yourself. Sit at your private dining setting
in the middle of the desert and dine in the serenity of the Outback
under a million stars, more
info on this tour...

Dot
painting workshop

A unique experience! Today
you'll join Aboriginal artists at the Uluru Aboriginal
Cultural Centre for a fascinating introduction to
Aboriginal law and art. Learn the meaning of some
of the symbols in the dot paintings that depict Aboriginal
culture and lifestyle. Spend the afternoon with the
artists and create your own Aboriginal dot painting,
which you'll be able to take home as a momento of
your experience at Ayers Rock (Uluru) More
info....

Northern Territory, from Darwin

Arnhem Land is a huge Aboriginal reserve, and normally
difficult to access as entry permits are required, and they are
not given to just anyone. This 2 day up-market camping safari takes
the worry out of things for you and combines some of the best of
Kakadu National Park with the special experience of traveling in
Aboriginal Arnhem Land.
The highlights of the trip include pristine World Heritage wetlands,
wilderness teeming with wildlife and unparalleled Rock Art away
from the more popular sites. Travel in comfortable 4WD vehicles,
dine on superb fresh food by candlelight, complemented by good Australian
wine, either under the stars or in the rustic restaurant of Davidson's
exclusive safari camp near Mount Borradaile in Arnhem Land ,
more info on this tour....

A shorter tour that does it all in one (long) dayis also available; View Aboriginal rock art at the famous
Ubirr artsite that is thousands of years old. Cruise the East Alligator
River and by special permission, take a short walk into Arnhem Land.
More info on this tour....

Queensland, Cairns / Port Douglas

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Queensland, Gold Coast

Seventy-five per cent of Australia'a wildlife is nocturnal,
so when the sun goes down, the bush comes to life. The Wildnight
Tour is a unique chance to see these amazing animals up close on
a specially guided tour conducted by Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary's
wildlife experts. There's also a chance to journey into the Dreamtime
and experience a traditional Aboriginal corroboree. More
info on this tour....

Western Australia, the north west

Considered one of the great marvels of the Kimberley,
Geikie Gorge has long been one of the most visited icons of the
region. This journey is brought to life with a memorable Aboriginal
cultural tour that will leave you with a great respect for the people
and the prehistoric geology surrounding this treasured gorge. More
info on this tour....

Experience a 4WD adventure to the remote wilderness
area of Cape Leveque. Visit the Beagle Bay and Lombadina Aboriginal
communities to met the locals and perhaps purchase their arts and
crafts. The days highlight is the unspoilt beach haven of Cape Leveque,
where you have free time to swim, relax and explore its tranquil
beauty.

You can also combine this tour with a flight to appreciate
the ruggedness of this landscape from the air, more
info...

Some of Australia's better known Aborigines;

This section still needs some additions, if you feel
inspired to write some for us please contact
us...

Aden Ridgeway -

Albert Namatjira - the first Australian
Aborigine to be recognized both nationally and internationally as
an artist. He is now one of Australia's best-known artists. His
landscape paintings capture the essence of the Australian outback.
Albert Namatjira was born in the Arrernte tribe near Alice Springs
in 1902 and died in 1959, he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Coronation
Medal in 1953. Some of his children also became succesful water
color artists.

Bennelong - As a member of the Eora
tribe that lived around Sydney harbour he was instrumental in the
first contacts between European and Aboriginal people. He was one
of the Aborigines captured in 1789 when Governor Philip thought
it was time to learn more about them. Bennelong was treated well
but still did not enjoy his imprisonment and disappeared half a
year later. He turned up again after an incident where Philip had
been speared and Bennelong said he had punished the offender. After
this meeting the friendship between Bennelong's tribe and the settlers
improved, and Philip even had a hut built for him. In 1792 Bennelong
sailed to England with Philip and met with the king and many other
nobles. He returned to Australia three years later and died in 1983.

Cathy Freeman - She was born in a
fast family, her grandfather was a runner, her father was a runner
and so she became a runner too. At the age of 16 she left home to
move to the Gold Coast where she received training from a professional
coach on a scholarship. She became the first Aboriginal woman to
compete in the Commonwealth Games where she won a gold medal and
became Australian of the Year. In the following years she continued
to win numerous gold medals at Olympic and Commonwealth Games around
the world.
Other awards included the Order of Australia Medal and in 2000 she
was chosen to light the cauldron at the Sydney Olympics.

Charles Perkins -

David Gulpilil - well known actor
who started his career with the 1971 film Walkabout.

David Unaipon -

Eddie Mabo - A Torres Strait Islander
who became famous in in the 1980s with his landclaim that took ten
years to settle, and he sadly died before he could hear the good
news that he had won.
He was born on Mer Murray Island in the Torres Strait and together
with some others lodged a land claim to win native title. The Queensland
government tried to stop them from claiming title but the High Court
of Australia ruled in the islanders' favour and decided that the
'terra nullus' (uninhabited land) theory of Australia at the time
of James Cook's arrival was invalid and that indigenous people still
owned the land as they had done before.

Geoff Clarke - not looking all that
black, he was chairman of ATSIC (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Commission) for some time but was suspended for various things like
being involved in a pub brawl and rape allegations, tried very hard
to get his job back but John Howard abolished ATSIC and that was
the end of that.

Jack Davis - Famous writer who was
born and raised in Western Australia. Since the 1930s he has written
several books of poems, four plays, and worked as the managing director
of the Aboriginal Publications Foundation. Through his writing he
was able to make the world aware of the plight of Aborigines, and
he received an impressive number of awards, such as Aboriginal writer
of the year in 1981, an honorary doctorate in literature and an
order of Australia medal in 1985.

Lowitja O'Donoghue -

Mandawuy Yunupingu -

Noel Pearson -

Oodgeroo Noonucal -

Pat O'Shane -

Reginald Saunders -

Yothu Yindi - a Northern Territory
band that had a world hit with their song Treaty.

Wandjuk Marika -

William Barak - When Aboriginal people
were driven from their land around Melbourne in the 1830s they were
moved to missions and reserves, and then moved again and again as
white settlers needed more grazing land for their animals. William
Barak rose as their leader and managed to convince the Victorian
government to allow the Woiurrong people to stay on Coranderkerk
Reserve.

William Cooper - A member of the
Yorta-Yorta from Victoria who rose to be a political leader that
demanded that Aborigines be treated equally to other Australians.
He started his campaign of petitions and letters in 1933 and founded
the Australian Aborigines League in 1936. When the settlers celebrated
the colony being 150 years old he organized a Day Of Mourning to
make everyone aware of what this 150 years had meant to Aborigines.
He wanted full citizenship rights for his people and introduced
'Aborignes Day' , the first one was held on 28 January 1939.

Windradyne -

One of the Aboriginal dance shows you will find in Australia

The Pintupi nine - "The Lost Tribe"

In October 1984 Melbourne newspaper 'The Herald' ran
a spectacular headline "We find the lost tribe! " A group
of nine Aborigines was discovered in the forbidding Great Sandy
Desert who still walked around naked and had never seen a car or
shotgun before! They were in fact not lost at all but just living
a nomadic lifestyle and surviving just fine. But their "discovery"
was considered huge news in an age like 1984 where people considered
the world fully explored and charted.
During the 1950's the British were firing rockets from Woomera direction
west and thought it was best to move the local Pintupi tribe Aborigines
out of the area so they relocated them up to the Northern Territory
and north west Western Australia. They did not fare well there and
alcohol did its damage.
But during the 1970s when Aborigines were given landrights they
started making plans to return to their home lands and in 1981 the
Pintupi traveled to Kintore near the Western Australia border to
set up a community. Later they crossed the border as their actual
homeland lay further west and so it happened that in 1984 when Pinta
Pinta and his family were setting up a settlement at Winparrku that
they were spotted by Piyiti and Warlimpirrnga, who were scared by
their car, intrigued by their clothes, and angry about them invading
their land.
They met but initially did not know they all originated from the
same tribe and there was a tense stand-off where they were frightened
of eachother and a gunshot was fired. This caused the settlers to
flee and, on a flat tyre, they drove 60 km. back to the others to
tell them what they had seen, still thinking they had seen ghosts
or scorcerers.
Fortunately Freddy West Tjakamarra knew of a family that had never
come in to let themselves be transported by the British and they
felt sorry for 'the naked ones' as they called them and decided
to look for them.
It took them some time as the two had gone on the run north, having
been vary scared by the shotgun, and they tried to hide their tracks.
The trackers even stripped naked as they thought the group might
be scared by clothed people. They started finding more tracks of
another seven people and eventually they found an exhausted older
woman hiding in the spinifex, with a man nearby ready to throw a
spear.
Finally as tensions settled the group was given the choice of coming
in with them or staying there and they opted to come in. Most of
them reluctantly climbed in the vehicle but several jogged behind
the vehicles. The tiny settlement of Kiwirrkurra where they arrived
was not exactly the highlight of civilization but still in comparison
to their previous lifestyle there were many modern conveniences
to discover, like matches, blankets, sugar, oranges, and within
several days they all had colds and were coughing and sneezing.
The group was actually under threat from inbreeding at that time
as the genepool had run dangerously low being isolated all that
time, normally Aborigines have a complicated skin classification
system to avoid this. Some of them died in the next few years due
to medical problems and some moved on to become well known artists.